Mara's Journey:
The inspiration... the process... the happening...
Materialized Fabrications
What is that saying, "One woman's trash is another woman's treasure?"
Shortly after moving to Sharjah in 1999, I became intrigued by the quaint tailoring shops scattered across the city. It struck me that at the feet of every tailor lay the material I could use to depict the area I now call home. The idea was like a happening; the result reveals its own story.
About once a month I venture out to visit various tailor shops and return home with several black plastic garbage bags bulging with colored scraps of textured cloth. Swept from the floors, the material used to sew the clothing worn by the people of Sharjah becomes the medium I use to create reflections of our world.
I want to portray the world around me in a way that encourages others to reflect upon my interpretations. I'd like people to smile when they sense the whimsy, to question when they ponder the significance, to relax when they feel the beauty, and to dream when they reach beyond the vision. Maybe that is too much to ask from scraps of cloth, glue and fabric paint, but for me my fabrications are not only therapeutic, they also make my perspective on life a whole lot more interesting.
When I'm out shopping, walking on the Corniche or teaching my classes, it's fun to see who's wearing my buildings!
Woven Tapestries
After weaving for thirty years, I felt I had abandoned a part of myself when I moved to the UAE in 1999. Since I wasn't able to take my large tapestry loom with me, I decided to improvise.
I called this the "Weaving Bedloom". It was an interesting experiment, but I soon realized its limitations and had a new loom — similar to the one I used in America–built for me here.
Wearables
My first attempt to create clothing began with a simple scarf in Reykjavik, Iceland at the age of five when our babysitter, Helga, taught me to knit. Thus, began my love of fiber, especially wool.
Later, as a college student in Minnesota, I purchased a handmade upright spinning wheel from an older Icelandic man residing in Canada. After teaching myself to spin, I began to experiment with natural vegetable dyes, and my hand-knit garments took on an entirely new dimension.
Living now in the extremely hot UAE climate, I rarely wear wool sweaters. Instead, I've begun to create clothing inspired by the local fabrics and cultures found in this area.
Using the three-piece sets of traditional Punjabi fabrics, I now create the delightful dress and jacket ensembles pictured on this website. In many parts of Europe, Asia and America, I am often asked, "Where did you get that beautiful/unique/sensational/stunning/striking/gorgeous outfit?" Now you know.